Biobased chemicals will be an unexpected beneficiary of the North American shale gas boom, as sugars, glycerin and other plant-derived feedstocks emerge as economically competitive starting materials for a range of commodity chemicals—including propylene, isobutylene, butadiene and isoprene—due in part to tight supplies of conventional feedstocks, according to a new report from IHS Chemical. Due to the shale boom, North American ethylene producers have switched from petroleum-derived naphtha to lighter, natural gas-based feedstocks, reducing...